One Life
by Alex Warlorn
Summary: The three dogs and three birds take two humans and make them their puppets in a duel to the death to decide which side is greater. Cassie and Ash! Can Misty with the help of the other ledgendaries put a stop to this madness before it's too late!
1. One Of Land

_ The ones of land, the ones of sky, since the dawn of existence they have clashed with the other, to detirmine who was the greater. But these constant wars left many innocents in their wakes, and finally, the Beast of the Sea, and the the Goddess of sky sought to put a stop to it. But neither side wanted the war to end in a draw. But did see the reason that was no point in distorying the prize in the contest to decide it's owner._   
_ It was agreed upon that at the end of the next mullium that two Guiding Humans would be chosen to represent either side of the conflict, the victory of the winner would be detirmend by the death of the losers. This was girm decison and a cruel fate. But both knew that the only altirnative was to allow them to continue to fight, and this was simply not an option. So two human would become the pawns in a grudge match between the elementals of land and sky, with one winner, one survivor ._**__**

**--Year 1000 AD**

Cassie felt a chill again, it was the third time in the last hour, she kept looking over her shoulder, swearing she saw something just out of the corner of her eye. She couldn't guess what. All she knew what that it turned her blood into water just from catching glimps of it. She kept moving foreward, she was going to beat Ash to Blackthorn city if it was the last thing she did! And she wasn't going to let some shadows stop her!   
Five minutes later her brave jog was reduced to a meek walk, she could them now, all around her, she didn't know how many they were, at least more than one, off to one side was a flash of yellow and black, to the other of blue and violet, then of brown and red, what were they? If they were pokemon wanting to challenge her why didn't they just attack? If they wanted not to get captured by here why did they stay close to her? Did they plan on killing her? Did they see her as prey in their territory? She held Bayleef's pokeball hard, considering to release him or not, if she would just be sending him to his death if these things were as powerful as her imagination was making them out to be. Contray to popular belief, human did not start training pokemon to feed some primal lust for power. It was to protect them from wild pokemon! In a world where animals could pop up out of nowhere and breath fire at you, your best defence was something that could do the same.   
But Cassie had no intention of sacrificing Bayleef just to buy herself a few extra seconds of life. That wasn't what a trainer did. They were moving in closer. Cassie realized with fear and pain that she was going to die . . . she just stood there, she wasn't going to amuse them by running like a scared rabbit. She took her pokegear from around her neck and dailed up her mother, praying she was still awake at this hour. The phone rang and a few times. And finnal a familiar voice answered.   
"Hello Crystal residence."   
"Mom? It's me Cassie. I love you just felt like I should you in case I ever forgot to ever tell you. Bye." She hung up not waiting for her mother's confused reply.   
Cassie took her plastic megaphone and held it like a club. "If you want me! Come and get me! But I promise you you'll have fewer teeth to eat me with when I'm done with you!"   
_We do not intend to kill you. _Said a voice, massive and powerful in Cassie's mind. Phyic. Perfect. She might not even get a chance to fight back. Cassie turned to the faceless voice and saw what looked like a cross between a gaint wolf and a mainless lion, brown fur covered the body, a smoky main covered the back, the face was covered with a crystal mask. _It is simply time for you to fulfil your purpose. Our Chosen._   
"C-Chosen!? This is some kind of joke?!"   
_We promise you it is not. _Cassie turned her head to see a saber tooth tiger with a metal mask covering the top half of it's face. _You are our Chosen. The one who will fight in our name in the coming duel._   
"Uh . . . sorry guys . . . I have places to go, people to see, bye!" Cassie turned from the both of them and ran like the wind down the trail. Or would of if the blue furred creature with a crystal growth coming from his forehead hadn't been exactly behind her. Cassie Started and dropped her useless weapon and fell on her rear.   
_It is not your Choice to make. Do not worry. Soon none of your other "business" will matter to you. All that will matter is us . . . You . . . Are . . . Our's!_   
Cassie's eyes glazed over looking into those ruby eyes of the blue wolf/cat, and she fainted dead away. 

Flames, comments, good or bad reviews, suggestions, reactions, occasional constructive criticism all welcome. Spelling corrections also welcome as long as you tell what you think of the story itself too.   



	2. One Of Sky

note: I take serious liberty with cannon here. You have been forewarned. And I know I can't spell pokemon names. 

You know . . . the original commercial for Pokemon on US TV was with Brock's voice, "Do Ash and Misty have what it takes to become Pokemon Masters? Only if they can   
capture as many as possible, while avoiding Team Rocket's treacherous tricks! Catch all the action! right here on this station."   
Looking back on it. I think of the shows are put in the series just so Ash can see but not touch new pokemon. In fact, any time one of Ash's pokemon evolves, or learns a strong   
attack. (Charizard, Bayleaf, Squrtle and his Hydro-Pump, Noutowl and Confusion) you can beat he's going to lose it. The reason is that they don't want Ash's pokemon to get too   
strong and always want him to be challenged every time he goes up against a Gym leader.   
Please people, I'm begging you here. Read Freedom Fighter's Pokemon Adventure Series here on FF.net! It's how the pokemon series SHOULD have been! (it's starts out after   
battle of the badge and goes off in a totally different direction, including Misty going off to earn Gym Badges herself!) 

Ash looked at the badge in his hand with pride. Pikachu sleeping like a baby on his right. Heh. He had finally beaten Chuck, the brutish Gym Leader of Chainwood City.   
Ash had to admit, he had met some Gym Leader that been rude, or in some cases psychotic like Sabrina. But Chuck had to be the first Gym Leader Ash had met that the teenage boy could officially call a jerk! And during the battle, it was obvious that altitude that rubbed off on his pokemon. Chuck had also been the only Gym Leader Ash had been beaten twice by. Ash could still see the arrogant sneer on Chuck's face each time Ash's pokemon went down. He actually laughed as Ash's pokemon fainted! But it had been worth it to see Chuck's face when Bayleaf had finally beaten that jerk's Polywraith. Misty herself had said that toad gave water pokemon a bad name(both of them).   
Of all the pokemon he had never thought to see again. Nessie with her pod was one of them. And Ash's surprise back at Olivine City at seeing a very particular group of   
Lampres. She had been a sight for sore eyes. Especially since Ash had really needed to get to Chainwood City in a flash. Ash felt his blood boil again, how did a jerk that wanted   
to battle to decide weather a pokemon who lived or died EVER get to be a Gym Leader? Anyway, Jasmine's desire for the cure needed for her dying Amphorose had been   
fulfilled. And the tomorrow she agreed to let him challenge her for his seven Johto Badge. (she said he wanted to make a call to Lance of the Elite Four about Gym Leader number   
six)   
Nineteen badges in all his adventures together. He might beat Gary's Badge count yet. And Ash had serious doubts if some of those badges were real. He didn't recognize   
some of those gym symbols. Naw, he was just being paranoid, Gary might have been arrogant, patronizing, and condescending, but he wasn't a cheat and fraud. Ugh . . . why was he even thinking these things? All he wanted to do was sit here on the shore and enjoy the sunshine. He looked over at Misty . . . She looked more pretty in a bikini every time he   
saw her in it, and that new hair cut did wonders for . . . what the heck was he thinking? They were just friends. And the only reason she followed him so long was over that dumb bike anyway . . . Still, she hadn't mentioned it since the Kanto League, so why was . . . ugh! Stop already! He told himself. Your trying to relax remember?!   
Ash closed his eyes and placed the Gym Badge with his jacket and leaned back soaking up the sun. They had been lucky to find a good beach spot over the rocks away   
from the crowd.   
That was when Ash felt it. A chilling breeze followed by a hot one. Then a force that sent his hairs on end. Not from fear really, more like the charge his body got after one   
of Pikachu's electric shocks. He blinked his eyes open and turned his head at Misty.   
"Mist, did you feel that?" Ash asked.   
"Feel what?" She replied looking at him idly as she sat up.   
"A chill, then a heat wave, and then a electric current?"   
"I think Pikachu fried your brain one too many times." She remarked laying back down. "With all the punishment you put your body through I'm surprised you don't   
random feelings more often."   
Brock of course ignored this, he had learned to stay out of the kid's 'discussion', and he usually just wound up being shocked by Pikachu when the mouse decided to end   
their bickering in his own way. At least the two of them seemed to be attacking each other less recently. He looked at the oceans, almost as blue as Suzie's hair . . . boy it sure got   
choppy all of a sudden. The wind was starting to pick up too, but not a cloud in the sky . . . maybe it was just the jet stream.   
Ash had the trio of feelings again, stronger this time. This time he KNEW he had felt it. Did he have a virus? That was when he heard Them! But it couldn't be! Maybe it   
was just minor ones like the one they had once help Todd get a photo of. It couldn't possible be the Legendary ones. They hated each other! The only reason they would be   
together was to fight! And that had almost once destroyed the world! The feeling again. The sound again. Ash got up and looked around. The wind was blowing and the sea was   
turning violent. But still there wasn't so much as a single white cloud in the clear blue sky. he barely noticed that Pikachu was awake.   
"Mist please tell me you didn't hear anything!" Him going crazy was more preferable than to having a replay of the disaster that had almost killed him at the Orange   
Island!   
"Ash?" Misty said in corner. He looked like he had seen the mother of all Gangers. "Are you okay?"   
If Misty hadn't heard them before. She did now. They cried as one from above. A shadow from nowhere covered the entire ground. All of them only had time to look up   
before a yellow mass of electricity came swooping downward throwing sand and them all back from his landing point, all except Ash, who seemed rooted to where he stood, well,   
not quite rooted, otherwise he would not been plucked off the ground with the easiness a Hoothoot did a Rattata. This all happened the span of two seconds.   
Then it was over. Pikachu just remained where he lay, looking quite defeated. Brock was agasp with what had just happened. No one noticed that the sea and wind had   
calmed down. Misty got up, trembling . . . the sky showed no signs of anything except the sun. No sign of Ash or his kidnappers. It couldn't be. This couldn't be happening! But   
it was happening! And Misty had never felt so helpless in her life. Finally she let out expelling all the air from her lungs at once with a single cry.   
"Ashura!"   


Flames, comments, good or bad reviews, suggestions on what should happen next, reactions, occasional constructive criticism all welcome. Spelling corrections also welcome as   
long as you tell what you think of the story itself too.   
  



	3. One of Many

Note: Hats off to Charmage and her idea for the alternate names of Pokemon.   
I just Hanako better than Delia, though otherwise I use the dubbed names. Second expect some slight poetic justice.   


Night. What a contradictive thing. On one hand it was considered the time that danger lurked around every corner, with no way to tell what could be hiding in the darkness. On the other hand, it allowed for a blank canvas for the mind's eyes to project its images on.   
For most six-year-old girls though, the night only represented a world of nightmares. For one girl however, it seemed silly to be scared of the night of all things after what she had been through, or rather, what she had put others through.   
Her name was Molly Hanson, and a year ago almost to the day, (it wasn't midnight yet) she had, in a not so indirect way released a force that could have consumed the world. She had unleashed the Unown: an extra-dimensional collective pokemon that could read the hearts and minds of any life form they encountered, particularly humans.   
This time, as they ventured forth from their own reality, they read her mind. In spite of their great power, the Unown were weak willed, and had no creativity of their own, and were easily influenced by the thoughts emotions of others.   
Thus for a few days, their infinite power had been the realizers of Molly's designs and whims. For the Unown you see. Had the power to warped reality. And Molly's current reality did not brood well with her. Her mother AND father had both vanished. Presumed dead. She was alone. She didn't want to be alone. And with The Many (their own name for themselves) mentally linked to her, her wants were the only reality.   
One thing beyond the Unown's power however was that they could not create souls. They had to get those on their own. Looking into Molly's mind, they found the mental picture of Hanako, Ash's mother. A friend she had met at the edge of her memory.   
Before he had vanished, Molly's father had played pretend with him being Entei, Johto's land based Legendary of fire.   
The massive pokemon that had appeared next to her after she had freed the Unown from their confinement had spoken in her father voice, and had made no objection to her calling him 'Papa' when she put what she thought were two and two together. But to this day, Molly still didn't know if it had been her father's soul, or the true Entei's that the Unown had bound to her service.   
The point was, when Molly had voiced her want for a mother, Entei had been sent out to fetch the best one around, Ash's. One hypnotic suggestion later Hanako had been Molly's willing mother and not knowing any difference. Molly, of course, had no solid memories of her own mother to draw upon, and took Papa at his word that she was her mother.   
Molly had to admit, on that day she was happy, it was good to feel happy.   
Then Ash came, stupidly, bravely, and heroically looking for his parent. Molly, using a projected form and soul less crystal pokemon had fought and defeated his friends pocket monsters one by one. Ash himself however, still managed to reach the top of the crystal tower forged out of Molly's dreams, and where Molly's real body and her mother waited.   
Ash's presence had a surprise effect on Hanako, breaking Entei's brain washing. Molly's world quite literally shattered when Mama had told her she wasn't Molly's mother, Molly, and her dream crystal tower instantly took on a much more violent tone, as did Entei.   
Just as Ash was knocked to his doom, a surprise ally showed up in the form of Ash's charizard. For a moment, Charizard seemed as though he was going to win, but Papa was still being fed power by the Unown, and thus, was quite impossible to vanquise.   
A beaten (both meanings) Charizard at his feet, Papa got ready to break the dragon's neck. Only Molly's words stopped him. Ash friends said she had shown the second most important thing about fighting, knowing when to stop. (a/n the most important thing about fighting is knowing when not to altogether)   
Many things came together for Molly in that moment, the most important, was she couldn't live a dream, no matter how pleasant. Second, she wanted things to be real again. The Many, no longer having her wants to give them order, went out of control.   
The next few minutes were chaos, Ash's pokemon trying to weak the Unown enough to break their power, to no avail, of all ironies, it was Entei who weakened them enough that they had to return to their own world. The crystal tower then vanished, reverting to her home from before, and Papa, Entei, vanished as well.   
Both her parents were found to be alive again a short time later. And everyone thought with the puzzle pieces that were the key to the door that held the Unown mysteriously vanished into thin air, that the Unown could not again enter the physically plane.   
They were wrong. They could still enter. Would enter again. Molly knew, because she could hear them. Everyone thought her mental link with the Unown was gone, it wasn't. She simple had everything she wanted, those who loved her. She could feel them though, waiting patently for her next order. One she hoped she would never make.   
The grandfather clock in the hallway struck midnight, breaking her out of her melancholy for a moment. That was also when she felt or rather sensed something.   
First she didn't know what it was. Then she realized it was familiar. How was it familiar?   
Molly had never been a physic but since her dealings with the Unown, she had been able to . . tell things. And slowly, her mind somehow interpreted what her ESP for lack of a better term was telling her.   
Molly gasped. "Papa! Uh, Entei!"   
Indeed, the volcanic pokemon was near here, though he was not visible for a few more seconds. When the shadows did seem to slip away from him. Molly was perplexed. Though Papa/Entei's face was a crystal mask, it somehow still conveyed expression, and now it was showing regret and sadness.   
~ I'm sorry Molly, I'm just so sorry. But please try to understand it's necessary. I only hope this will be over as soon as possible. ~   
The girl was confused by what the pokemon meant for a moment. That was when she noticed the blue electricity starting to crackle all around her. Except she hadn't willed it. But she recognized the power well enough. She felt it reach upwards along her arms and stick like needles into her brain, Molly cried, tearing going down her cheeks at the pain. She saw the world grow even more dark than night around her as the pain dragged her mind into unconsciousness. Molly looked at Papa in anguish, for some strange reason, she didn't scream in agony.   
Molly pleaded. "Why! Why are you doing this?!"   
Molly thought maybe she would receive no explanation before she went unconscious.   
But just before she blacked out, she was given her response. ~ A match is going to begin. One that will determine the balance of power in Johto and Kanto, and every battle, needs a judge. ~ 

~ Why were you hesitant with her? We've wait a millennium for this. ~   
~ I . . wish I did not have to involve her in this. ~   
~ She is the Avatar of the Unown, it was agree upon when the Pact was made for her to referee the battle. Besides, her life is in no danger. ~   
~ Perhaps. But I still feel wrong doing this to her. It will be like what I did with the Johto Chosen's mother all over again. I look back on that now with unpleasant feelings. ~   
~ Again. She is not the one who is going to fight. And . . . you can seek to restore her afterwards. ~   
~ Even if I do. Her memories are not so easily moldable as those of other humans. It is her nature. She will remember what she sees and hears for the rest of her existence. ~   
~ Playing house in my opinion made you weak and gutless. ~   
~ I don't see caring as a weakness. I know you don't. Or you would not have helped the Time Traveler's protector when you did. ~   
~ Maybe . . . but 'caring' has no place here. Not now. This will be to the death. ~   


Flames, comments good or bad, reviews, suggestions to what happens next, reactions, rants, occasional constructive criticism all welcome. Spelling corrections also welcome as long as you tell what you think of the story   
itself too.   



	4. One Down

Sorry about all the incorrect words in the last few chapters. 

I know I can't spell pokemon names. Ugh. I've been doing chain stories for too long. Maybe I've been reviewing for too long too. I just hope I can still create instead of just reacting. 

  
~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Í Ash No More Í

_What's my name? Ash. Ashura Satoshi Ketchum. Greatest Pokemon Master the world has ever seen._ These were Ash's first thoughts as he came back into the waking world. Needless to say, he was quite disoriented borderlined on delusional. 

Where was he? Last thing he remembered was getting picked up off the beach in a flash by Zapdos. It had been the real Zapdos: god of thunder, not one of the smaller ones that dotted the world. Ash must have blacked out. 

Ash looked at his surroundings but everything was thick with darkness and lanced in a blur. He must have hit his head, most likely a cannon shell if it had been strong enough to get through his skull. 

Ash wanted to move but his body was clearly on strike because his arms and legs moved with less speed than a Muk's. Was he dead? He sternly ordered his head to life, and rewarded with a nasty headache. Okay. Check. He wouldn't be playing cards with Haunter any time soon . . . unless the Legendary Birds had something to say about it. But that was stupid. Why go to the trouble of snatching him away like that just to kill him? It wasn't like the police could just come up to them and say 'you're under arrest'. 

Ash could guess this had something to do with him being Lugia's Chosen One. But aside from that he was in the dark in more ways than one. 

He guessed there was nothing left he could do but wait. But wait for what? Rescue? Death? Sammy? The Tooth Mew? 

If he WAS in the hands of the Legendary Birds, what the heck did they want him for? 

_To fight._

What?

_To fight for us. _

Was he going crazy?

_No._

This WAS crazy! Even if this was who he thought it was, the Legendary Birds weren't psychic.

Maybe. But the brain's functions are just electrical impulses from one spot to another. And electricity is the element I command. And will soon have unchallenged rule over. 

Okay. This had gone from good old crazy to 'in need of medication. ' 

_You will not mock your Masters. _

Huh? Since when were the three birds HIS masters? Lugia he could understand but the three? 

You may be Lugia's avatar, but now you will be ours: as was agreed upon a thousand years ago to the day. 

Like he was going to do anything they told him.

You will. Without question or thought. And you will do it with zeal. 

Sorry pal! Ash said mentally, his voice strangely not working. My family members are all Mew followers. I'm not going to roll over and play dead just because you tell me to!

We do not plan to have you 'roll over and play dead'. We plan for you to fly and make the enemy 'be dead'. 

I won't fight your battles!

You won't have a say in the matter. And soon, even if you did, you would anyway. 

Enough with the riddles! Where are you?! Show yourself!

_Little human. You don_'_t even realize where you are. I am all around you. _

Ash felt a chill go down his spine. Only now realizing he was naked. 

In a panic he tried desperately to move, his feeling of touch at last telling him he was in a fetal position. His eyes finally getting used to the darkness took in the slight tint of red everywhere. Ash would have screamed until his throat was raw if his lungs hadn't been filled with liquid. 

Mew! Why hadn't he realized any of this until now?! Had they been dulling his senses!? Mew what was going on! No this wasn't real! No this was impossible! No this had to be a nightmare! 

Mew help me!

Doubtful. She and the Others are contract bound to have no part in this.

Ash's mind spun around at 20K RPS down a bottomless black pit. The hideous reality of where he was, was jeering him in the face worse than one of Gary's insults! He felt the glue that held his mind together ever so slowly begin to crack. That was when the electricity hit his body. Ash's body madly jerked about as his insides warped and twisted. Mew make it stop! Please just make it stop! 

It was beyond pain when Ash felt his shoulder blades break through skin and muscles. And still he couldn't scream. The pain simply backwashed in his mind again and again and again and again and again and again and again . . . 

The pain distracted Ash from the other changes in his body. His finger and toenails became talons, his fingers and toes first fused together in pairs, then the remainder spread apart while another claw came into being at the soul of his feet and wrists. Scales covered his hands and feet. Ash's eyes became stilted as they shifted to a new position on his head. His shoulder blades had increased in length, branching off in infinite number of directions, muscles climbing up them, followed by same kind of new born feathers that were covering the rest of his body.

Ash cursed Pikachu for giving him such a high pain tolerance over the years from the repeated electric shocks. If he had been any other human he would have blissfully passed out by now. 

His spinal column extended and branched out, getting longer and longer out of his rear, the pain coming as strong as ever as the electricity gave way to cold. A triple feathered crest grew upon his forehead and his spiky hair became even spikier as the blood of Archocunno and Moltress downed by Zapdos began to take effect in their turn. 

There had never been a question, which one of them would, ahem, give birth to their pawn, while any of them could perform the physical task, the mind was a thing only Zapdos of their number could take care of. So piercing their own skin, the two other air elementals allowed their blood to form a shallow pool from which their third sibling could drink from, being careful _not_ to drain themselves to the point of helplessness, after all, it would not do to give Zapdos the chance to turn on his two brothers right after they had finished their, 'donation'. 

The freezing cold turned to fire as feathers pattered with each of the primary colors finished covering the portions of his body. Ash felt his back catch on fire, pain, pain, pain, three auras, all conflicting struggling for control, ripping the battle ground (him!) apart. Was this how the world felt when the three birds did battle? Pain! Pain! **PAIN!**

The pain stopped. Thank Mew, Celebi, Lugia, Ho-Oh, even thank Groundon, the pain had stopped! 

This will not do at all. 

What? Did they mean more pain? More pain? Please no more pain! Anything but more pain! Ash will do anything but no pain! __

_There are still some minor details to complete, but your mind is in no condition to survive more trauma. We've decided to complete the work on your mind before we finish your physical form. It would not do if you went mad before the battle. _

My . . . mind? __

_The mind is but electricity jumping between nerve cells, and as I said, and I am the lord of the electrical element. _

No, we're . . . more than that. We think. We feel. We are. __

_Just keep thinking that. It_'_ll make it easier to mark the progress._

Please . . . don't do this. __

_No. There is no other choice. As the pact was spoken, it shall be._

Ash felt a tingling spread from the base of his skull through his entire brain. He truly regretted what he thought before about anything else than more pain. This was worse than pain. This was worse than death! He had to remember! He was Ash! Ash! He was a pokemon trainer! Lugias chosen one! He had promised himself to become the world's greatest pokemon master.

_Erase. _

He took hold of his mother's image, of all the times she had cared for him and loved him. How she always drove him crazy by reminding him every three minutes to change his 'you-know-what's. 

Erase.

His pokemon. How he met each one and his friendship for all of them. Haunter. Pigeot. Nessie. Cindaquil. Toadadile. Noctowl. Stampy. Charizard. Bayleaf. Pikachu.

Erase. 

All the friends he had met along the way. Richie. AJ. Molly. Sabrina. Todd. Dulplica. Sammy. Cassie. Gisele. Melody. Lisa. Tracy. Brock. MISTY! 

_Erase. _

_. . . . . ._

Black. Dark. Red. Small. Too small. Confined. Escape. Out. Must get out! Where out? No out. Must get out! Make out! Sharp things. Use sharp things! Use sharp things on black. White where black was. Red. Red moves. Red moves outside black. Follow red. White too small. Make bigger. Sound. Breaking. Cracking. White. Red. Black gone. Light. Light everywhere! 

The humanoid avian pokemon blinked at the bright daylight as its eyes adjusted covering its face with its arms. After a few seconds it slowly reopened its eyes standing up straight, stretching the multicolored wings on its back. Three other avian pokemon descended above to land in a circle around it. By instinct it knew the names of these three. The God of Thunder. The God Ice. And the God of Fire. He, (it was now remembering its gender) also knew another name for these three. One even more deeply rooted. Masters. Did he have a name? He tried to remember if he had one. But it came out blank. No. He had no name. What use would he have of one? He was but the instrument of his masters. The avian pokemon let out a cry to announce his birth into the world. 

Melody idly played her ocarina as she often did on days like this. All her life she had come to resent her ocarina, seeing it as the center of the stupid and empty traditions her family followed, waiting for a chosen one she KNEW would never come. How the heck she was supposed to know he WOULD show up the first time she actually did her part of festival maiden? So now she was free, the traditions having served their purpose. She was free for the first time in her life to play her songs for their own sake. She wondered what Carol was up to: still brain storming for new ways to get the tourists to come to their little island no doubt. No one had the heart to put on the festival since the appearance of Lugia. Now that the prophecy had come to pass, it just didn't feel right to put it on anymore. 

Melody hated to admit it, but like the rest of the islanders, she too felt like she had lost her purpose. So now she was doing what she had looked foreword to never doing again once she wasn't young enough for the part of the maiden. Playing the song of the guardian. Calling out to Lugia. And listening to him reply back. Yes she could hear him. And she was sure he could hear her too. But today even this refused to give her comfort. For the song Lugia gave out across the seas had no comfort. Melody had heard the song long enough to understand the various emotions it could convey, and now, she was sure she could hear Lugia openly weeping. 

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flames, comments, reactions, rants, good or bad reviews, suggestions on what should happen next, reactions, occasional constructive criticism all welcome. Spelling corrections also welcome as long as you tell what you think of the story itself too. 

Please don't write 'MORE!' Those reviews leave me empty. 

And leave four letter words out of your flames, they make you look stupid, not me.

If you have an axe to grind about a review I gave, E-MAIL ME! I leave it public for a reason! 


	5. That Makes Two

Whose still saying a story can't come back from the dead? 

I don't remember Cassie's eye color so I'm assuming it's brown, correct me if I'm wrong. 

I got the idea for Ensune from the book Last Unicorn, read it, it's good book. 

~ ~~~~~~~

She was a doll. Just a doll. An unthinking, unremembering, unspeaking doll. A thing. Not a person. She could no more move on her own then any other doll. A life less object with no mind or memories of its own. Her self-awareness had simply been disconnected from the rest of her. She could make no reaction to her situation or her surroundings, let alone the return of the largest of the mighty dog/cat beasts that had brought her here. 

Entei checked on their charge, of course, she hadn't gone anywhere from where Sucune had deposited her. She hadn't moved an inch. If not for her shallow breathing, the sight of her would have suggested she was a corpse put in a sitting position. 

The girl Cassie had the same unreflective puppet look in her eyes that the human Delia Hanako Ketchem had had when Entei had turned the woman into just another object of his Molly's fantasies. Entei cringed at the memory. Molly had wished for a mother, and he in turn had gotten the best one around: Ashura's. Maybe Scucune was right, maybe his short time pulled into Molly's service via the will of the Unown had made him soft. But why him? Entei? The most terrible and fierce of the Three Legendary Beasts? Raiko had not been affected this way after he owed his freedom to three no-face human children from that dreaded crystal system created by Team Rocket (The irony of Cassie's last name was not lost on Entei). Maybe because he had never needed to get to know them like Entei had Molly. But this child wasn't Molly. Why should it matter? Maybe because she was human, and that was enough in of itself.

As said before, Cassie's eyes were completely glazed. Entei doubted the girl's mind was aware enough to know what was going on around her. He pulled the strings, and her body went through the motions. Maybe it was better this way. At least her last few minutes of humanity wouldn't be spent in terror and agony. Entei sighed. This was all set in motion, it couldn't be stopped. It was either one innocent life, or countless innocent lives. 

He wished Sucune would hurry up with the preparations, or at least that Raiko wasn't the psychically weakest of their number. He lacked the precision his air born counter-part did when it came to controlling his element. Thus Entei had been given the job of looking after their selected fighter, and had to leave Molly's side. Molly, at least whatever happened in this, she would come out alive. If things went as planned that is. So many things could go wrong it actually frightened the beast whose bark could erupt volcanoes. 

Finally hearing his brother's call that everything was ready, Entei willed the doll to stand up and follow his lead. Her movements were like that of a wind up toy, Entei knew it was a wonder she didn't trip over her own feet. 

No other pokemon was in sight or scent, Celebi's Lake of Life had been reserved for them alone this day. The way the girl was right now, it necessary for her protection. If the three of them were by chance distracted there were normally plenty of predator pokemon who knew a free meal when they saw one, it had been foolish to leave her alone for even this short amount of time. 

Sucune walked off the lake's surface where he had been for the last several hours. Raiko due to his element kept his distance. 

The three beasts due to their own biology could not follow the same process their air born cousins had used to recreate their fighter. Humans had ignorantly labeled all 'Legendary' pokemon as genderless, the elementals had taken offense to this, but as Lugia had pointed out, they had been gods to humans for eons, since they had toppled the previous and ruthless lords of this world, and since when did gods need a gender? For a true deity, gender was just something that was taken so lesser beings could better relate to them. Of course, Entei thought darkly, who were they, to call themselves gods? The beast of fire shook his head, they were the maintainers, protectors, and moderators of this world, and they were the best for the job, nothing else mattered. 

But the fact remained, this girl could not be born again in the same manner as her opponent. 

And so, the Lake of Life was tainted by blood, which too held life, but was detested for the sight of it often marked the loss of life. The flowing life of all three beasts mixed together like the brew of a witch's cauldron. Sucune didn't let himself think how the lake was now akin in appearance to the time it had been polluted by the actions of a brain washed Celebi. 

Sucune looked at his older brother and the selected human following close behind. One look at her told Sucune all he needed to know. 

The water beast ordered. ~We don't want a machine Entei. Start cutting your direct control now.~ 

The girl's actions went from robotic to the slurred graces of someone sleep walking, her eyes doll like to half open. Things were not making any sense to the girl, but like in a dream, it didn't matter if they made sense, she simply had to do them. 

'No sense in dragging this out.' Entei proved he had control as well as power as he breathed fire around the girl's body. Every last bit of her clothing turned to ashes, which a light breeze blew away. The girl felt no shame or panic being in front of these creatures with her body for the entire world to see, she couldn't bring herself to be afraid. 

Her poke' ball were at her feet. Raiko had been voted the one to take them back to her family's home town, there, the pokemon would be free to go where they chose to, the heat had melted the balls shut for now. The three knew the small pokemon couldn't be allowed to interfere if the girl's team woke up from Sucune's Hypnosis too soon. 

The fire had also perfectly burned away the two long purple bangs that ran down the course of the girl's back, leaving the rest of her hair untouched. Cassie would have been in tears if she weren't already in her stupor. 

'The water looks so nice and inviting. There's nothing wrong with going in right now.' The powerful Suggestion echoed in the girl's head as she walked towards the water's edge. 'The water is not cold at all. There's nothing to worry about.' The girl's bare legs entered the freezing water without even flinching. She continued to walk along the bottom. Her body where the water touched was stained red. It was bright daylight yet the icy crimson water was already making her body go numb. At the center of the lake she was up to her neck, tiny waves splashing against her face and discoloring her hair. 'Time to sleep: this is as good as place as any.' The girl's head dropped below the ripples of the lake, a couple bubbles of air followed, then nothing. No one was alarmed by this, least of all Cassie. Floating in the perfect center of the body of water, she held her knees to her chest, her arms hugging her legs. Her hair drifted around her head, swaying like grass in an unseen wind. She wasn't holding her breath. The scarlet liquid entered and exited her lungs as easily as air. Her mind and body couldn't have been more at easy. 

Sucune ordered. ~Do it.~

~Done.~ Entei replied. 

Entei entered her mindscape as easily as a burglar would an unlocked house. Inside was the lay out of her mind: the things that made this person Cassie Crystal. 

Crystal statues of friends, members of the home town base ball team that she had earned the respect of, her mother who loved her, the father who taught her everything she knew about pokemon, the grand father who taught her everything she knew about base ball, her pokemon, a base ball bat, and an electrabuzz: all made from purple gem stone that 'grew' out from the ground of the same material. The sky was pitch black, marking her unconsciousness. The violet ground also bore a gigantic golden symbol, in the shape of the Rainbow Pokemon. The identification that she was the avatar of that particular Legendary of this generation. Books, copies of ones she had read in her lifetime. Pictures of her dreams: some of men in yellow uniforms, others of a boy with black hair. 

Entei knew this was only his interpretation of her mind, and for a moment wondered how it would appear to others. Not that it mattered, or would matter ever again. Taking in the image of what his mind's eyes saw one last time, Entei smashed them all. 

In the real world, the girl's face finally showed expression as she twitch with pain. 

The various statues, monuments, everything she was, everything she had been, and everything she was once going to be, gone forever. The shattered and broken pieces lay scattered across the ground, dissolved into dust, and were no more, everything except Ho-Oh's mark. Her mind was now a blank canvas to write on. 

At Entei's will, new statues, new memories, as real to her as her old ones had been, began to rise seamlessly from the ground. Of being raised by the three legendary beasts, of being one of them, of learning about other pokemon and humans from a distance. 

Entei fought the mental image of Molly that kept entering his mind: a look of disappointment on her small face. Entei shook his mental avatar's head, he had already wiped the slate clean, there was no going back. 

This creature raised by the legendary beasts had no concept of the word 'parents,' all she knew concerning her past was that she had been born from them, whatever that meant. She remembered being taught how to control the elements in her by each of her three mentors respectively. She remembered being told what her destiny was. She remembered accepting it with open arms. She remembered going almost mad waiting for the day that the event would arrive, eager to prove that she was the best to herself and those who had given her life. 

She remembered being shown the wonders of Johto, seeing the borders of the territory that the three beasts roamed. She remembered fighting pokemon of all shapes and sizes to prepare herself for the day would be the pinnacle of her life. She remembered learning about a war lost to human memory, and the fall of the old masters of this world, the fighting among it's new ones, and the decision, of how all of it would end. 

She remembered coming to the Lake of Life to purify herself one last time before the event that was the sole meaning of her existence. She knew she was ready.

Opening her eyes, she willed the water above her to part and the water below to raise her to surface level. She resisted the urge to shake her fur dry and walked on all fours to the edge of the lake. She was as fast on four legs as she was on two but preferred to keep herself low to the ground. 

- Incarnation of Thunder. Incarnation of Fire. Incarnation of The North Wind.- She growled as formally as she could. ÐI've completed the ritual you set before me.- 

With Raiko and Entei to his left and right Sucune spoke. ~Are you ready to begin?~

The wolfen howled. She had been born ready! After all, this was the reason she had been born. This was what she had waited years for. 

Yes, no other living thing was present. The white furred beast that looked at these proceedings with narrowed blood red eyes was not alive in the traditional sense of the word. He was pretty sure he had been alive once: otherwise he wouldn't be able to relate to those who it was his duty to escort to the next place. His presence was said to be the sign of disasters to come. Some said he caused them. Other said he came as a last warning to what was to come. In reality, he was there for those who would soon not be. 

He had been pulled here, yet no soul had fluttered out of the new animal before the three elementals: a close death experience? It wouldn't be the first time. 

Though standing on four limbs, he could see her back legs could support her body on their own, enabling her to stand while fighting. Her body was muscular, but somehow still had a female's limber shape. Her lower face a fang fill muzzle. Her eyes were brown color as before, but now the same as Entei's. A familiar shaped blue crystal growth grew along both sides of her neck like guard armor. The fur on either side of her back had a purple loosely styled mane, making her look larger than she really was: it was not like Sucune's, not at all. Black tiger strips marked her limbs and sides, her upper face was a crystal mask similar to Entei's. Her belly was white while the rest of her fur was a dark purple. Finally, a long wolfish tail stood level to the ground behind her. She was a dangerous sight. 

Feeling himself already being pulled to a new location, he knew he would be there for the event, death, would visit someone there. But even he didn't know whom; the future was still in flux. 

Ecruteak City, the city of legends. The city where the legendary bird Ho-Oh herself had once graced the human race with her presence. Where her faithful servants did her homage. Even now her tower stood, waiting her return, even if it was not the first one, the true Tin Tower had been burned down by greedy humans who dared think they could control a goddess. 

There were those who still worshipped the Beast of the Sea, Lugia, who claimed the New Tin Tower was the real and original, that Burnt Tower had originally been called Brass Tower, and had been home to Lugia himself, but Ho-Oh's servants grew disquieted with Lugia and his servants' presence in 'their' city and put the tower to the element that their goddess had chosen as hers, fire. 

But men like Morty, who were a direct descendent of Ho-Oh's high priests and Leader of Johto's Ghost Gym laughed at such things. After all, Lugia was in the Orange Islands, the idea of him being in Johto was idiotic. That purple haired girl who said she had seen a white and blue pokemon the day she had left on her journey must had been imagining things. 

Just like that boy Ash who foolishly claimed that he had had a vision of Ho-Oh before even knowing her name. As if she would just appear to non-believer before one of her loyal servants. 

Ensune, Morty's friend and fellow city resident, was a man who cared little for history, all that mattered was the present, and the three beasts he had dedicated his life to. His cousin Lawerence III had chosen to claim the three elements of the Orange Islands, and a couple years back, Lawerence had come close to completing his goal. Two out of three isn't bad but it's not that great either. But unlike his cousin who Ensune was sure had a mental problem, Ensune only desired to capture the three beasts long enough to look in their faces, to have them acknowledge that had captured them, and thus his memory would live on in them for all time. 

And what better place to learn about them then here? The city that it was said Ho-Oh had resurrected them after their deaths in the fire that destroyed the first Tin Tower. 

The Tin Tower. 

The tower, where within it's second to top floor rested the four crystal bells, which would ring when Ho-Oh returned. When pokemon and humans were united as one, whatever that meant. 

Of course, there were only three now due to the selfish greedy actions of three moronic egotistical fools whose stealing and accidental smashing of one of the crystal bells had come frighteningly close to igniting a war between humans and pokemon! 

Both men were eating lunch and discussing the possible origins of ghost pokemon and their connection to the ghosts of humans when through out the city, the mental bells that been harmonized with the crystal bells centuries ago, rung like in an earth quake. The two looked at each other, dropped what they were doing and raced through the streets with its confused people and into the wooden tower. Morty was the first to reach the top. It seemed fate was hell bent on teasing him: again, Ho-Oh was not there waiting for her servant. But thank Ho-Oh anyway, there wasn't yet another bell missing this time! But where was Ho-Oh if this was the sign? The last time the bells had rung it was a warning to the fools stealing of one of their siblings. Could they be delivering another message now? The ghost trainer returned to the floor containing the crystal bells. 

As said, Morty was a direct descendant of the priests who had been the administrators of Ho-Oh's faith, and was an accomplished spirit medium to boot, could his ancestors be telling him that this sound was not right from beyond? It was a long shot, and there were at least a hundred different other reasons, yet the bells would not stop ringing. 

His eyes closed, following his instincts to tell him what to do, and Ensune having finally caught up with him, Morty slowly walked to one of the crystal bells and touched it's ringing surface with his bare hands. His eyes shot open and nearly fell on his back. Morty took a step back, his hands shaking, despite his brain telling them to stop. 

Morty was left confused and stunned by this sublime message from his master. One word had shot into his head. But . . . he found it impossible to believe. 

Was Ho-Oh . . . in pain? What could possibly cause Legendary Rainbow Pokemon herself, grief? Not knowing what else to do, Morty gripped the crystal bell again hard. He was sick of this, he would find truth even if he died getting it! He was vaguely aware of Ensune pulling at one of his arms but he didn't really care. Three minutes of agony later, Morty fell on his back, knocking Ensune over as well. The bells had gone dead silent. Out of breath and sweating like a swinenub, What Morty had seen, he could barely describe. All he knew: was that something very important to Ho-Oh was now missing. 

~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Flames, comments, reactions, rants, good or bad reviews, suggestions on what should happen next, reactions, occasional constructive criticism all welcome. Spelling corrections also welcome as long as you tell what you think of the story itself too. 

I know I'm no good at pokemon names. 

Please don't write 'MORE!' Those reviews leave me empty. 

And leave four letter words out of your flames, they make you look stupid, not me.

If you have an axe to grind about a review I gave, E-MAIL ME! I leave it public for a reason!


	6. Three is a Crowd

Shadow Guardian of the Gate: Updated. 

Story Weaver1: I meant for what happened to Ash to be nasty, the fight won't be this chapter, but just wait and learn. 

Rosemary the Rubix Cube: I hope that this chapter finally clears things up. 

Belletiger: Soon enough? 

Nicky4: I tried my best with this transformation, tell whatcha think. 

Kara10: Thanks for the praise, tell me what it is exactly what you love about it. 

Kitsune: I feel that praise is a little unwarranted, but thanks, as for Ash and Cassie's inner most selves, just wait and see.

Mike.EXE: Yes Cassie the electraBuzz fanatic. Think about the golden mark Entei saw in Cassie's soul room for 'why her.' And Ashura is the elongated version of Ash the dubbed name. 

Persian Mistress:

Please remember to use e-mail for reactions to my reviews to your stories, using a review to respond to my review just to give the message is an abuse of the system I've been on the receiving end a lot of. 

I'm glade you like cannon as well. 

Yep. This girl is the Electabuzz fan girl from those three episodes from Johto. (Pity the girl wasn't allow to play in the tournament, it would have been cool!) 

Please point out any grammar or spelling mistakes you see.

Thanks for the corrections so far.

Thanks for your comments on the Beasts' characters.

Prepare for the answer to Molly's fate.

Yes, I've noticed you've updated.

I thought I did leave a break, stupid formatting.

Ho-Oh is in pain for the same reason Lugia was crying over Ash's change.

Ryan Thanks . . . oh and as for a new hero? Well, note quite.

One life chapter six draft (check italics, bolds, etc)

Three Is A Crowd

Hats off to Star Trek Enterprise, Balto, Golden Sun, Ghost Files, DBZ, Super Man, Mortal Kombat series, Sword of Truth book series, Digimon 03, Justice League, and a very important MewTwo fanfiction I loved that was never completed whose name I have forgotten and for whom the web site no longer exists for inspiration.

Also, hats off to Lugia42's Pokemorphs, pokemon of the Future story chain (rest in piece friend who we never thought to save after it's completion) for the nick names of the pokemon.

Thanks to Raven for a few suggestions.

Hope you guys enjoy the show.

Molly Mie Hale No More

_ . . . Unown . . . Unown, Unown . . . Unown . . . Unown, Unown . . ._

The song of many who were one was what awakened the child from her induced slumber.

She knew she had to be dreaming. Her other Papa never appeared anywhere except in her dreams. Though the barrier between reality and her mind's eye had been destroyed before, it was unlikely it would ever happen again without her willing it so. And she had not willed it.

Her small body refused to move, floating in the multicolored, ever changing void. Her legs were against chest with her arms shielding them. Wait. 'Wasn't this the way baby pokemon sleep in their eggs?' remembering one of her picture books.

She spoke to her other Papa, or tried to, but even her mouth and throat were listless in response to her commands. Even her voice that needed no sound was muted. A string of burnt alphabet soup moved across her fixed field of vision gazing at her as they passed. She tried to connect to them, but they were as unresponsive as her other body parts. She knew very well that for the first time in a long while, she should have been very, very afraid for her own sake, but for some reason the fear refused to come. Maybe it was because Papa was there to protect her? Yes, Papa would save her, he always did.

Unlike her two counter parts, Molly awakened still adorned in her attire: her nightdress. Entei knew he had no right to behold this child above all others in her entirety, in her pure innocence. The Many had honored his request to leave it. It mattered not to their style of transformation anyway.

Entei would have gladly had taken the weight of the world on his shoulders if it meant Molly would be allowed to sleep through this process, but her role required her conscious mind be active during the conversion. Her pleading eyes struck like a lance through his flesh and bone into the heart all others were so certain was but a stone furnace.

One life or many, one life or many, he repeated to himself. The mantra in his mind was all that kept the volcanic beast from rescuing the precious child from her fate. She shouldn't have to see the scenes to come, but she had to. There had to be a third party to keep the single conflict fair. What was a 'match' without a referee? As Lugia and Ho-Oh had done, the Unown had promised their Avatar to play the respective role. Otherwise, the Humans would not have time to even imagine their fate for the Unown if the Elders returned or if the Great Feud resumed.

'When this is over my Molly,' Entei prayed, 'please let this be just another dream for you.' Truthfully, Entei's only real hope was that some shred of the innocent child whom he had once served and who had loved him in return would be still exist when the confrontation had reached its conclusion. So that he might return her to the ones who had a right to love her and thus something of a normal life.

He had left escorting the one who was once called 'Cassie' to the Arena for his brothers. On his free floating crystalline platform, Entei refused to close his eyes. He deserved to see this; he had no excuse not to bear witness to this… wrong… done in the name of survival, for lack of a better term.

The child was at the nucleus of the orbiting rings of the Many's collective whole. They stared at the all-so-malleable matter that made up her shell. Then they looked even deeper, into the ever-fluctuating energy that composed the true self, and began.

She felt no pain. Even with the collective will of all the Many, even at this infinitely important time, they could not bring themselves to give pain unto their representative in the material world for which they could only visit. Her body and its protection became the same single mass of translucent crystal, the soul trapped within growing more and more confused. Soon she had no real shape at all, just mass, and that gem mass never stayed a single color. The circling letters drew closer and closer together towards their chosen, the soft blue electricity changing and reshaping the soul's vessel into a humanoid form with which she could most effectively perform her role.

The mass of the crystal doubled and elongated. Symmetrical protrusions reached out from the mass, thinning and taking on definition. None of the sculpting was defined nor restricted by the original shape of the shell.

Mutually, the creative force within the shell had been softened, made ambiguous, and built back up into the required mold. Redefined, in the name of purpose.

Slowly, so at first Molly didn't notice, instead of feeling her dress on her skin, Molly could _feel_ her dress as a part of her being. The parts of her body that Molly shouldn't have been able to feel, her hair, her toe nails, all of them she became aware of as though nerves had suddenly grown into them. Molly felt her body go from not being allowed to move to not being able to move. Bones, muscles, blood, all her trappings: all turning into the same hard, yet delicate, material. Despite all this, the fear still wouldn't come.

The part of her body that used to be her dress smoothed over, melting over the rest of her. Details faded out as though she were an ice sculpture laid before the sun to pass judgment upon. She could no longer breath with her lungs being nonexistent, yet everything was as it should be. She had no eyes, only blind crystal, but she could see and did see all around her with no limits on her vision. The crystal shell holding the soul consolidated its mass, losing any previous meaningless definition. The soul was devoid of any limits or restrictions on what she should or could be.

She had had never felt such freedom.

360 degrees by 360 degrees the sum of times infinity divided by zero.

Mathematical laws that had oppressed her senses were banished. This was freedom. She was freedom. Her sight was from all points and angles, fusing together into one vision, and she understood it all.

Anything that had to do with a single perspective was lost to that which was infinite. Limitations such as distance or up and down simply no longer mattered. The memory of a small girl playing with a Teddiursa from the girl's perspective was joined by the hyperactive bear's point of view, then by each of the happy parents watching the event. Even the Remoraid in the nearby pound barely noticing, more interested in when they were going to be fed next and the Pigeot who happened to look down at the scene was also only mildly interested in the exchange, but mainly wanting to know how the Remoraid tasted, were added. All of them were equally real and equally important to the soul in its crystal container (gender itself being but a material thing). It did not stop there, new perspectives were added, new points of view, memories from before the beginning of others' memories, stretching out to infinity and both ends of eternity, the soul comprehended.

However nothing lasts forever. As painful as they were, definition and the limits it implied began to return. There was much to be done, and function ruthlessly demanded form.

The soul pushed out from its now perfect indistinct shell, sending it out in four different directions. If it had cared, the soul would have noted, and if it had a map of its shell that the expansions were not from where they were before. But clay didn't care how it had been shaped before, and the crystal that made up its shell had equivalent concern.

Perspectives narrowed again as the soul reshaped its shell into a somewhat familiar figure. As the soul worked on its four augmentations it also worked on a bulge of crystal forming between two of the extremities at the end of one of the long ways of the lengthened design its shell had become. When contours on the surface became visible, for some reason felt completely alien to the soul, the indistinguishable mass of the shell closest to the surface was amputated, no longer connected directly to the housing of the soul, but still for the time being molded by its will.

She, (the features of the crystal shell it now occupied she remembered could only be female at this stage of progress) felt her shell become further limited, her freedom giving away to the support system needed to maintain a soul's anchoring on material planes of existence. She felt herself no longer being evenly spaced inside her shell, instead, being forced out of the extensions until only a shadow of her presence remained, the core of herself being corralled into the bulge between two of her limbs.

Atoms rearranged themselves, not by having all of them distilled and worked on at once, as so-called, higher minds believed to be the only possible way, but two or three at a time, leaving the rest to themselves until their time. At a speed the laws of physics concluded was impossible.

Through out the solid crystal shell internal scaffolding solidified itself, a second outer layer of the shell formed, though this one was still connected to the whole. Cells within the shell meant for the transfer of minuet amounts of electricity were molded out of the crystal like a spider's web, focusing infinitely in the bulge where her true self now resided. And so the work continued to remake what had been smoothed over within and without, down to the most fine of details. Non-living material, a former part of the shell, while serving no practical purpose: she was reminded by someone else they were an important part of her none of the less, and thus, were recreated. In addition to the non-living material already around her, more was sculpted and directly connected to the bulge (her head, she remembered) cascading beautifully around it.

She knew this was and wasn't how her shell, her body, used to be before being freed of limitations, but this was the form needed for the purpose she had seen ahead of her, what was needed to be done. She felt the Many again, connected and a part of her. She also felt another near her, someone quite important.

Gravity was born to humor returning instincts not wanting to deal with a reality were the laws of attracting masses did not exist.

With a swift mental command a flat glass surface was begotten and supported beneath her shell. A soft landing later she calmly lifted the shutters before the windows to her soul.

Brought to light were irises just as blue as before. However, the whites were now the same crystal as she had been a moment before, and the centers in the stead of black held an ever shifting violet.

Her smiling voice held emotion, but at the same time, like her eyes, contained something that simply wasn't human.

"I am ready Papa."

"Ash was kidnapped by WHAT?" Professor Samuel Oak's voice was distorted by the sheer volume of his exclaim through the speaker. Misty rubbed her still ringing ear.

She breathed. "Zapdos . . . Ash was kidnapped by Zapdos . . ."

"This . . . this unprecedented, unbelievable!" Oak blinked. "-Please- tell me you haven't told Ash's mother!"

The tom-boy blinked in return. "What do you think I am? Stupid?" If Ash's mom heard about the fate of her 'little pumpkin', the middle age woman would hijack a kayak and raft all the way to the Orange Islands to retrieve her child. He knew the woman even before he gave her son his first monster, and Oak wondered if she would let Ash continue his journey at all if Mrs. Ketchem learned about even half the things Ash had –just- survived through out his quest.

"Of course not Misty but I had to make sure." The old man replied. "Which way did it take Ash?"

Misty looked disappointed at her end. She either didn't hear Brock's flirting with Nurse Joy, or just no longer cared. "I, we were hoping you could tell us. Don't you Pocket Monster Researchers keep track of where important pokemon are?"

Prof. Oak shook his head. "I'm sorry Misty, but the Legendary Pokemon go to great length to conceal their movements from humans and even other pokemon, trainer or wild alike. They aren't seen unless they want it."

Despair shadowed Misty face for a second before snapping into anger.

"Well do –something-, who knows what those birds will do to Ash! You're a researcher aren't you? Then research already!"

Prof. Oak rubbed his eyes with his free hands. This simply wasn't good. Not good at all. About the only people who didn't admit Ash and Misty's attraction for each other were the stubborn pair themselves: (plus the list of female trainers who had given Ash 'the eye' during his group's travels) and when Misty got emotional, the Clafairy on the moon knew it. "Misty, I know you're upset, but try to stay calm-"

"I AM CALM!"

Prof. Oak's face took on a very serious and stern look. " . . . No, you're not. Now stop. Breath. Think. Wait. Think again. Then speak."

Misty was silent for a few minutes before asking. "Is there anything you can do to help?"

"I'll ask Professor Ivy if she has anything since her Lab is nearest the Elemental Islands. I'll also call Shamouti Island's authorities for the latest sighting they have on the legendary birds."

"Ask for a girl named Melody Song, she was the ocarina player during the whole 'Chosen One' mess." Misty looked back on those events with less than pleasant feelings. Not only had Ash come close to drowning with the world teetering on the end of everyone, Misty had –also- had to endure Melody's advances on Ash, and worse, the musician's baseless claims that Misty was just in denial over her own feelings for Ash.

"I understand. And you check the local papers where you are, someone else might have seen Zapdos with Ash."

Misty nodded and opened her mouth.

"I got a date! I-got-a-date!" Brock announced to the entire world and its peoples doing a victory dance. "Nurse-Joy-agreed-to-go-on-a-date-with-me!"

Misty shrilled at this trespass on reality. "Wha-" The girl turned around so fast her wild motions accidentally hit the receiver against the phone cradle, ending the connection. Oak wondered how long the girl would be before she reconnected, if she did at all.

Oak thought about calling Ivy ASAP, but he needed a few minutes to collect himself. While she had never done anything wrong to him and he respected her greatly as a fellow scientist, when a stead-fast Romeo like Brock Slate happily works for her for six months then stumbles Brock into Pallet traumatized, Oak didn't want to say anything he might regret. And the rumor Ivy was just lesbian and didn't have any statistic passions just didn't feel fight to the good doctor. He looked at his coffee table and the large pile of unopened personal mail. It was always a gamble, it would either be a kid wanting to know some obscure fact about pokemon not related to battle only he or another professional could answer, or a pokemon rights activist presenting the latest fictitious proof to show how all pokemon paired with humans and loved them suffered from Stockholm syndrome.

Oak moaned to himself. "Maybe I should just call Morty and ask him if he's finally had that vision from Ho-Oh he's always wanted." Oak kept himself from calculating the impossibility. "Maybe she's told him something."

'Why not just ask a Legendary yourself?'

"Because like I told Misty, you can't expect one to . . . just . . . pop . . . out of . . . " Oak turned around. " . . . thin . . . air?" Oak nearly became one his ex's ghost pokemon. "Celebi!"

There, floating mere inching from him, with the calmness of any houseguest, was the Voice of the Forest herself. The green Legendary looked like a cross between a fairy, an angel, and a bug, a stunningly small pocket monster Oak was able to hold in his arms even as a child. 'Hello Sammy . . . it's been a long time.'

He hadn't been called that since Agatha left him! "Celebi!" He repeated.

'Yes Sammy. It's me.' Celebi responded. 'We have much to catch up on, but we also have much to discuss . . . and the walls have ears as you humans say.'

Samuel was stunned by the solemn face that his old happy go lucky friend wore, he had never seen her this serious. "Celebi . . . what are you saying?"

'I'm sorry Sammy . . . but we need to have a private discussion.'

Celebi's eyes glowed green, the world around them blurred, then everything changed.

Time equals infinity, divide by infinity, subtract by will: add to Time's original value.

Samuel shook off the disorientation he vaguely remembered as the confusion caused by Celebi's time travel. It took him a grand total of two seconds of looking around for his foggy mind to realize he was no longer in his lab.

He knew this place look familiar . . . it took him ten more second to realize he was at the Lake of Life, pure clear water and all at high noon. But wouldn't it been sunset by Johto time?

It took zero point five seconds for him to conclude Celebi had teleported him through time as well as space. Fifteen seconds after that did he finally realize that his perception of the lake was just like how he remembered it as boy when he was bolted fifty years into the future, too much like how he remembered it. His perception was far too close to the ground.

He looked down at himself, and zero point one seconds later a twelve year old boy let out a girly scream. He was even dressed how he was during his first encounter with his old friend.

'Not how most mortals would react to being able to relive their younger days.' She said, right above him.

"Celebi, what's going on here?" Said Samuel, thrown off balance.

'You are currently Sammy Oak, pokemon trainer with a taste for drawing, you just recently caught a female squrtle who will ultimately lay the egg that will be your grandson Gary's starter. Who will not be born yet for another-"

Oak, or rather Sammy, found enough wits to use his mouth. "But, if I'm here where's Sammy? The Sammy of this time?"

'You're him. And when you leave, he'll be him again.'

"That doesn't make any sense."

'Still works that way.'

"But why did you bring me here in the first place?"

'It wasn't only out of nostalgia Sammy. There are too many ears perked when we were. Fifty years before hand none of the others really cared what I'm up to. Plus, we're actually here as a bit of a way station. On top of that, you're a bit less fragile at this age, besides, you're so cute!"

Sammy blushed. "Celebi! Why?"

Celebi floated down to his eye level. 'You're saying those two words a lot Sammy . . . And I'll answer. I came to you because you have a right to know. I am about to show you things forgotten by most of humanity and many, many of the pokemon races. . . . Prepare to witness the dethronement of demi-gods, and the birth of the world you live in. The fall of the Elder Legndaries.'

"Fall of the Elder Legendaries?" Samuel sounded exactly like any child hearing a new word he didn't understand.

'Perhaps I should just show you.' Celebi hugged him before Sammy could speak. All Sammy knew was, this was different from Celebi's normal form of time travel.

The first thing that came to Sammy's attention was the sound of a roaring ocean as it smashed against the shoreline. The next was the feeling of a hot wind on one side of his still young frame, flapping on clothing while his size were not his own. Pulling his fingers together Sammy felt sand slip between them and underneath his fingernails. Pushing himself up, he felt water spray on him from the same direction as the hot wind. Finally opening his eyes, Sammy was surprised to see his still childish young hands and knees on a sandy beach. Standing up and looking up at the sky, Sammy knew the stratosphere should never be that color. Red and black clouds slowly marched across the heavens like soldiers in an army, blockading any direct assault by the sun.

'Rather interesting if that's what you want to call it.' Celebi floated into his field of vision, her mental voice and expression as uncharacteristically somber as before, if this was before.

Sammy had to know before anything else. "Where . . . –when- are we?"

Celebi's voice was perfectly calm. 'Twelve thousand five hundred fifty five .'

Sam was struck dumb for a few moments before relocating his voice. "This, this is the future?'!"

Celebi looked at him for a second as if he had said something plainly wrong before a flash of realization hit her face. "Sorry, my mistake, wrong calendar. We created our new one, yours, after the war ended to help clean the slate. To the 'modern' calendar this is the year minus sixty.'

"Only that long-"

'It really was stunning watching you humans develop so fast without Groudon, Rayquaza, or Kryogen holding you back. They didn't want their slaves getting any toys that were too dangerous.'

"But-but history-"

'The air elementals, Beast of the Sea Lugia excluded, thought some revising of history was in order following the fall of the Elder Legendaries. The land elementals were busy rebuilding the landscape, etc, so there wasn't much debate on the subject.'

Sammy at last looked around before turning his attention to himself, he didn't really recognize anything, not surprising if what Celebi had just told him was true. Beyond the strip of beach which inwardly curved after a mile or two were rocks, grass, and not a human or pokemon besides themselves in sight. If one didn't count the flying masses and two titans standing right out in the middle of the sea, but Sammy didn't have time to make out details when he raised his arm and saw a rather nasty surprise.

"Wha-whatisthis!"

'That, would have been the tattoo the Elders used to marked who was there's. Even two thousand and sixty years later, many humans still carry that mark. It may not be on their body, but it is on their soul. Ash's companions Misty, a descendant of Kyogre's servants, and Brock, of the Groudon servant bloodline, both of whom who train pokemon of similar elements, are just two examples.'

The mark that Celebi had just explained resembled a super simplified version of the soldering lines of a circuit board. The green lines ran the entire way from the palm side of his left wrist to the inside of his elbow. A simple circle seemed to be the top of the design. A stylized solid green traditional Chinese dragon with designs just like those on his arm was twisted around in the center of the ring.

Sammy also finally bothered to note he was clothed in two crudely made leather sandals plus a beige tinted shirt that reached down to just before his knees and stopped right above his elbows. A dozen questions entered his mind: he chose to only ask a few of them for his impatience's sake.

"Groudon and Kyogre, you keep mentioning them. There are almost no records of them, and those that exist are completely conflicting. Some wrote down they were benign, while others wrote they were evil, while even others say one was wicked and the other good, and not the same one either. And there were hints of a third figure among them that even the name of hasn't survived. Who were they really, and whose body am I in if this is the same as before, er, after, whatever."

Celebi was silent for a time, collecting her thoughts and choosing her words carefully. 'You are in the body of Samus Oaken, a non-descript slave in Rayquaza's service. You, he, came here because he had to see this for himself. Most other humans have already fled in fear or wisdom: take your pick. After the battle concludes, you'll rush to join the others. He will find they are all right in spit of his fears, and while none of you will know it, it is because Mew chose to protect you rather than join in the battle. On the way you'll encounter someone who wasn't quite so lucky as you. You'll barely manage to pull her free of the fallen wood structure, six years later she'll become you're bride. You would never have noticed her unless a strange green light hadn't guided you to her.' It didn't take Sammy's doctorate level IQ to put that one together.

He asked the eternal question. "Why?"

'I was too drained to levitate anything besides myself, and humans weren't exactly trusting of strange pokemon in this day and times. He was nearby and able bodied . . . But slightly more important at the moment, if you want to know who and what Groudon and Kyogre are, check that out.' Celebi pointed a feathered wing in the direction Sammy had been looking a short time before. 'It should be getting underway any moment now.'

Sammy looked, and this time he could indeed make out details. Side by side were the largest pokemon he had ever seen. One was red with black lines and reminded him vaguely of a bipedal stegosaurus with its spikes flattened out armed with a clubbed tale. The other was blue and white with red lines, and clearly resembled a whale with very large flippers. The both had the same black in yellow eyes, devoid of any emotion Sammy could understand or hope to.

In front of them were pokemon Sammy easily recognized. The elemental birds, and larger versions of the Latias and Latios he remembered Ash describing in his sighting of the pair.

But the real eye catcher was Ho-Oh and Lugia, leading the pack. Sammy was surprised to see the large scab on Lugia's forehead. Sammy was only able to see it because it stood on Lugia's white water proof feathers. Given the Beast of the Sea's size, so it wasn't surprising he didn't noticing similar injuries on the others.

Sammy may have been a child at the moment, but he still had all his knowledge on pokemon in general, and he knew a self inflicted wound when he saw one. Why would Lugia do such a thing to himself?

'Humans and common pokemon were marked on their arms, 'high ranking' pokemon were marked on their forehead. Lugia and the others were through bearing that mark.'

"You were listening in?" Sammy felt violated.

'Don't think so load . . . '

'Your age is over 'master.' ' Lugia mentally spat. Sammy looked back at the face off. 'Stand down. This meaningless war will end today one way, or the other!'

The blue Legendary spoke. 'You will beg for me to take back the life I gave you before the sun rises again traitor. This treachery will be your final betrayal!'

'My life is no longer yours to give or take Kyogre! Surrender, and you'll continue as a fellow, rather than a master.'

'You . . . would . . . DARE offer me MY life? I will make you remember who is master and who is creation."

'You . . . ' The red Legendary's eyes narrowed on Ho-Oh. ' You . . . you could have been my angel of life and death . . . death to Lugia, and life eternal to all who serve me . . . as is your purpose . . . now that you dare trespass that purpose . . . your existence holds no meaning . . . fit . . . only . . . to be extinguished!'

'The judgment of death and rebirth belongs only to me . . . ' Ho-Oh spoke in a tone of someone for whom the fight was a formality and the victory was inevitable. 'And no one commands life and death except itself.'

'Baw! You are utterly disposable. I have already birthed those to take the place the fools who dare blindly flock at your side.'

'They're gone by now. The grounds elementals may not be the most beautiful or bright, but they're more than enough to take apart those soul less machines of yours.'

'HA! You delude yourself! They are already dead!'

'Then their half of the elements would belong to you again . . . they don't . . . you have no one left to hide behind Groudon. Do you want to give up? Please say no.'

Groudon spoke. 'It's time to correct my mistakes . . . '

Earth, lighting, wind, fire, thunder, ice, water, psy-energy, mixed, clashed, and detonated all around the Legendaries in a flash. Cyclones of water reached to the heavens. True mountains rose up from the sea to be smashed down a second later. The planet itself seemed to be shaking apart.

Lugia appeared to be everywhere at once, his Barrier blocking killing blows from Groudon and Kyogre aimed at the other elementals. The sea itself seemed to be ablaze from Ho-Oh's Scared Fire technique. Latias and Latios fought as one being with two bodies, vanishing and attacking at opposite angles without end. And the elemental trio, ruthlessly hammered away at the much larger titans. Sammy was sure the world was about to end. Groudon and Kyogre unleashed world-moving attacks after another, however their small opposition would stupidly not go down! The little idiots didn't get they couldn't win! To think they had bred such fools. How embarrassing.

Lugia felt his head was going to explode as a unified attack from both Elders struck hard against his Barrier; the projectiles themselves were stopped but it was all Lugia could do to from smashing into his ally behind him from the sheer force of the smite. Lugia knew his barrier was going to break, he would break, or suffer a brain hemorrhage, in all three out comes, he died, and so did everyone else.

Ho-Oh's fire burned with a conscious will all its own, reaching, moving with intent refusing to die, the two titans just seemed angered by its sheer stubborn streak. This made them angry, and this made them forget about the gnats and focus on swatting the mosquito that had given them such a bad rash.

The water element attacks were quick to damage Ho-Oh's beautiful form, and Lugia doing double time to prevent her from meeting her end, he himself knowing he wouldn't last much longer. It took five whole seconds of complete concentration to use Recover, and they would be dead by the forth if they tried.

Time seemed to slow for the two legendaries . . . Lugia looked down upon the sea he had born from remembering the silver moon he had seen reflected in it so many times, while Ho-Oh looked up at the sky in hopes of seeing one last time the golden sun that her power mirrored through the crimson clouds.

The two lords and masters of the planet were too caught on stamping out the insects that thought they could be men to bother to listen on what they were thinking/sending/speaking now.

'We're going to die. Love you.' Luiga.

'I know. Love you too.' Ho-Oh.

The combined attacks of the two Elders came to smash through Lugia's frail barrier, and never reached it.

The combined slanted spires of fire and water washed over like waves against the barricade. That barricade, belonged to Latias.

The two larger legendaries couldn't have been more surprised. Why? With her power to blend in with her surroundings, she was safe! Her mate called out her name.

'I . . won't . . let you . . give up!' By all logic her barrier shouldn't have held, but it did. It might have had something to do with two eggs quite some miles away, whose future that moment was being decided.

Latias had bought the two larger legendaries the time they needed to recover their strength, and for an idea on how to win to enter their heads.

'Everyone get above the clouds now!' Lugia ordered. The air elementals seemed lost in the moment.

'NOW!' Ho-Oh commanded, this time they did pay attention.

Groudon would have made a smart remark on how even they could not fly forever if he still cared, but he didn't, all he desired at the moment to finish up his clean-up and move onto other business, he was a gawd after all.

Once the trio was above the cloud level, the two legendaries went in opposite direction. Lugia dove straight into the sea like a dolphin, while akin to a spear Ho-Oh impaled the dark clouds and vanished.

Kyogre was about to crush the little traitor when one of the gnats made a nuance out of herself with a stupid Thunder move. Groudon grinned at Kyogre's inability to crush his own slave, not thinking how the same thing was applying to him at the moment as well.

He swatted away the red gnat and watched it spin mid-air. A moment later a Hyper Beam straight between the eyes stroked the Ground Elder, a blue gnat glaring at him with anger that was the equal of the two titans. Groudon proceeded to smash the annoyance between his two sets of claws, but the smaller pocket monster proved faster and the only thing to feel the great gawd's wrath was Groudon's own nose. It was Kyogre's turn to grin.

However, both in these precious seconds had forgotten about the ring-leaders of this insurrection, but were easily reminded as a hurricane erupted from the sea and a tornado came down from the sky.

Celebi in a flash moved directly in front of Sammy, willing a Barrier in place much to the boy's surprise.

Latios and Latias had gone past the cloud level just as the two living storms touched.

Sammy shut his eyes knowing it was either that or go blind from the intense light, the shock wave that struck him a moment later landed him flat on his back. In spite of Celebi's powerful protection, Sammy still felt a wave of immeasurable cold then one of intolerable heat wash through him.

Getting his balance a few seconds later the boy got to his feet, carefully opening his eyes to behold the outcome.

The clouds above had parted in a giant circle, like a drop of soap against grease. Like a reflection, the sea too had parted with a bowl impression in the exposed ground. The scene was as if the sky, land, and ocean had all been pushed away by a giant invisible globe, their domination having been challenged, met, and over come. A second later the sea began to rush back in to fill in the void created by the crater.

At point zero of the explosion, or whatever it had been, Lugia and Ho-Oh hovered in mid air as a pair, with their allies slowly descending towards them, Groudon and Kyogre standing tall and power all the way.

The mighty monsters could never fall. -As two of a kind, the giants fell into the sea, along with a good deal of the ocean, showing just how far into the earth they sank.- Well, guess not quite.

Silence, the maelstrom was over. The battle was over. All was done. Latias coughed up blood and began to falter from the sky to be rescued from a watery grave only due to Latios' efforts.

'It's . . . over . . .' Moltress. 'We win . . . Haven't we?'

Ho-Oh replied to the smaller fire bird. 'They're gone, all of them, and we're not. We've won.'

Lugia asked and answered the question all of them were thinking very loudly.

'From here, we tell everyone that the nightmare is finally over . . . then . . . we rebuild this world . . . ' The dark cloud's broke, and the sun shined down upon the Earth.

Lugia looked at Latias and Latos, sending them his own personal thanks, for saving himself and Ho-Oh.

A minute or two after, in groups of three to two, the Legendaries scattered.

Sammy looked at Celebi for an explanation of what he had just seen.

'Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza, were the original masters of this world . . . locked in an endless war for their element to become the absolute one. Pokemon that are extinct, that you humans believed died out due to natural causes, were in fact causalities of that war.

I still remember when we put this world together . . . some spoiled brats never grow up, and don't care who dies in their war games . . . Humans were good for nothing except basic labor, and the menial tasks too time consuming for the real fighters to deal with.

Mew tried countless times to reason with them, to convince her babies to be compassionate with those who they ruled. They would never listen, they would just bat her away or openly attack her for daring to tell –them- how to run –their- world.

Absol, The Absol, being what he is, was sentenced to be neutral, in this as he is in all things, to think once upon a time the two of us thought of ourselves as rivals.

As for me, it was all I could do to keep the planet's ecosystem going. You have no idea how often in the early days I was tempted to just let it all die and have Absol take it, for those Swinub to sit and moan ruling over a dead planet, it would serve them right, but it wouldn't serve right those who they kept under their heels.

Jirachi dreams this dream, but we have to live it . . . The war dragged on without end for over twelve thousand years. The elementals obeying those who they feared the most. Lugia's kind was bred for the soul purpose of being the generals in Kyogre's army. And Ho-Oh was born for the soul purpose of killing Lugia and reanimating fighters right on the battlefield. But the best laid plans of pichu and men still must meet with the unforeseen. The elementals got sick, fear of death or not, -eternality can be a long time to fend off a fear of death- of being put in charge of areas, yet at the same time being breathed down their necks, and having as much real authority and respect as the strings that tie a puppet to its master.

Latias, and Latios grew bored with their positions, and learned how to assume a human guise, and walked among their workers just to try something new, and thus learned unexpectedly to relate to their plight. They also observed the act of procreation, and became curious of that and explored it. When the Latias and Latios you know of were laid, and their master,

Rayquaza, preordained, what the unborn pokemon would do for the rest of their existences, the new found parents knew they could no longer serve him, thunder struck by emotions they had never known before.

And Lugia, due to a dream he was given or something else, had been born with a heart, a heart that was woken up by a man with an ocarina made when his masters weren't watching. And Lugia too was sick of the endless violence. And Ho-Oh, the impossible happened, something beings like the Three could never expect or comprehend. She fell in love, with her own enemy, with Lugia.

Groudon saw the seeds of revolt planted, too deep to dig out. And thus created the Legendary Golems. Regirock, Regice, and Registeel: emotionless, heartless, devoid of conscience, pity or moral and especially free will: Perfect for Groudon.

For the ground elementals, it was the final betrayal.

Lugia was able to keep his relationship with Ho-Oh a secret from his master, and might have been able for eons more, if Kyogre hadn't decided humans were dead weight that needed to be cut loose. Having come to recognize the value of all self-aware life, Lugia knew he had a choice to make.

What they did was madness by many accounts, but they had all decided a swift death for their freedom was better than a living one locked in a war that simply couldn't be won.

Rayquaza, after being Hyper Beamed by almost every dragon type under Latios and Latias' wings, decided to get while the getting was good. Some wanted to go after him. But I came to the drive of dragons in a vision telling them to let him go. For I had foreseen, that two thousand plus year exiled in orbital space would do wonders for him, and he would actually reform, and aid in the fending off of an extra terrestrial virus pokemon who would invade the Earth in . . . maybe it's best if I don't tell you that.

The fierce and terrible Entei, along with Suicune and Raikou, confront the elemental machines that had been meant to be their replacements, and against all odds, defeated them. Or at least knocked them out of commission long enough for the mindless things to be sealed away, until a means of destroying them was found.

Groudon and Kyogre, wholly convinced that either their slave would never turn against them, or simply couldn't imagine being defeated by their own creations, ignored this, and decided to fight each other face to face for the first time in several thousand years, certain it would be the last time. It was, I hope.'

"They waited until Groudon and Kyogre had tired each other out."

'Indeed. Call it cowardly if you want, call it weak if you want, but it might have been that decision that enable your world to exist. . . . After the battle, as I told you, we set about rebuilding, almost all of us. Latios, following the loss of his mate, secluded himself to raise his two children alone. What startled us mostly was the humans, the poor creatures used as substandard pack beasts by the Elders, began to show certain traits. Dark. Psychic. And of course, Fighting-type. But that is another story for another day.

We did rebuild and renewed the world, aided by Jirachi who happened shortly after to come out of his 1000 year sleep cycle to 'be awake within the dream, and to returning to dreaming the dream in a better state' for his three days, but what surprised us all was that it was a human who woke him up, and he was able to stay awake for seven days rather than three, there was just something about humans that keeps him livid.

Then of course there were the Unown . . . who had secretly aided the legendaries since they chose to defy their masters, and had perhaps suggested to Latios and Latias to assume human form for in the first time.'

"The Unown? But why?"

'The Unown may be powerful, but they have no imagination, and you humans, all flaws real and imagined aside, are the most creative bunch since Jirachi himself. Maybe that's why he likes you so much: you're both powerful dreamers. And human dreams enabled the Unown to DO something with their power, instead of just having it. They even inspired humans to create the first written language based on them so any creative though put down would be connected to them.

But a problem came up none of us expected, but any student of history would have seen coming. The legendaries began to repeat their master's mistakes. Entei and Moltress, Raikou and Zapdos, even Suicune and Articuno, were soon at constant odds with each other. Mew was so repulsed by it she actually took Jirachi's example and decided to take a thousand year sleep.

I was helpless to do anything but watch as all my tedious repairs to the world's map of living things began to fall apart again, this time not by its constructors, but by those who were the very embodiments of the world itself, and the world reacted accordingly. And Absol feared he would walk among all the globe again.

Meanwhile during this, Lugia and Ho-Oh's followers became violently estranged as their new chosen masters did.'

"Falling out?"

'Debate on just how much they should take part in humanity's lives and those of common pocket monsters. About a thousand years after the new calendar was put into effect the in fighting had gotten so bad all the repair and effort we put in threatened to disintegrate around our ears. No one wanted to budge so a truce was reached, with conditions. . . . The elemental trios wanted to settle things. They could no longer stand having their power split two ways. But since nearly every fight ended in a draw, each side knew they needed new players to complete the game. Having given up on direct force and reason, Lugia and Ho-Oh, -who still saw eye to eye enough to know the Feud as we called it couldn't be allowed to continue- suggested on a single one on one fight at a certain date, winner take all. Since each member of each side wanted to be the one to fight, and were quite willing to do a free for all at the here and now, Lugia and Ho-Oh made a choice, as did the Unown.

For they knew, if the world tilted a second time, it might just release the Elders from their prison, and the Golems, reverting all back to the way it was. The Unown needed humans. Ho-Oh had grown fond of being worshiped by them in particular since most fire types now looked towards Moltress, and Lugia found humans could surpass even the Jynx in terms of music, something he lived for.

All three parties, offered up their Avatars (the human marked with their power at each generation so humans would never forget them) that would be alive at the date, to act as the fighters, and as the judge for the battle, as incentives of good will for them to accept the terms. It worked. Both trios agreed. Ho-Oh a hundred or so years later became a hermit, deciding not to grace humans with her presence save those she found worthy until the hearts and minds of pokemon were one. And Lugia, found someone else, someone who through a process I will not divulge 'ascended' her to his 'status' and thus, a Lugia who would be a mother, came into being. This might have inspired Ho-Oh to stay away even more.'

Sammy fell on his knees, his face blank, he knew what Celebi was getting at. "Ash. This is all about Ash. That's why Zapdos took him . . . "

'And Suicune took an acquaintance of Ash's, Cassie Crystal, and the Unown took Molly Mie Hale. Each of them have their predefined roles to play.'

Sammy couldn't believe the horror of this. "They're going to force Ash to fight for them . . . "

'Worse. Much worse. Ash, Cassie, and Molly no longer exist, only the role they play remain.'

Sammy couldn't believe he was hearing this. "Celebi . . ." Sammy felt tears forming in his eyes. "How could . . ."

'I'm sorry Sammy. It was the best that could be done at the time.'

"It wasn't good enough!" Sammy blinked away his tears, screaming at the pocket gawddess. "Howcouldyou!"

'I didn't even have a say in the matter Sammy! . . . I only got to look at the stupid thing because I'm the Eternal Witness! . . . They almost broke the agreement right then and there when I told them I wasn't going to offer my chosen as-, Sammy I'm so sorry.'

Sammy couldn't believe this. This was crazy, all of this. Sammy's knees gave out and he fell on his rear. Celebi floated down until she touched the beach's sand with her feet. 'I guess . . . in that way I was weaker than them, I couldn't sacrifice a friend in the name of the world You have no idea how close I came to making the other choice.'

Stupid silence, it would never go away, even between two who should have had a lifetime of things to say to each other. "Then why . . . Why all of this?" He asked. "You could have told Misty and the others directly."

The look of longing in Celebi's eyes was all he needed for an answer. It had been an excuse, to see him again. 'Tell Ashura's friends what you will. The choice will be up to you alone. Come to the peak of Mount Silver, with as few people as possible, devoid of equipment. The battle will begin soon. And everything will be decided . . . and Sammy, tell no one, but there is a loophole. I'll be waiting there for you Sammy.' Whipping tears, Sammy noticed how calm the sea had become, now reflecting the perfectly normal blue sky, and everything went white.

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	7. The Birth of the New Trio

Greetings, howdy hoo, and all that jazz. Time marches foreword, and it waits for no one. But you have read this story and have a right to know how things turned out. What follows is a summary of the conclusion of One LIfe. I'm very happy all of you reviewed who did.

I'm just so happy that you all reviewed, thank you, each of you. It was an honor.

Brock's date with Nurse Joy is canceled when Sammy shows up with his Charizard Scar from Charific Valley saying he knows where Ash is. Misty says that Nurse Joy must have dated him out of pity, but Brock says he's actually perfectly able to charm women, it's just that Misty, May, Max, etc, all pulled him away before he could charm them. Misty doesn't believe this. Brock swears that it's true. Misty says then for him to 'charm' her, but Brock says that wouldn't be right. She asks why, and Brock tries clumsy to dance around the subject that it wouldn't be right given Misty's relationship with Ash (that both deny even exists).

And when I say Sammy I mean Sammy. Though it is actually Samual Oak, his age regression a 'short term trick, so don't cancel your life insurance plans' given to him by Celebi to make him able to make the trip to Mount Silver and to hide Celebi's direct involvement, and to create an extra layer of mystery about Sammy so Misty and Brock are more likely to accept a 'need to know' type answer.

Scar is indeed the same scarred charizard from Charific Valley, of course Scar is NOT his real name, but it's a stereo typical nickname he's had to endure. Scar says nothing about his trainer's real identity by divine command: all pokemon fear celebi when she flexes her power enough. While Celebi as a matter of decency would never erase someone from history directly, everyone still thinks if they get her angry enough she'll travel back in time and sing them a lullaby of Perish Song in their crib.

Sammy gives a bare minimum explanation for his appearance, telling Misty and Brock only that he ended up in the 'future' by 'accident' and says he 'saw' Ash and Casey being taken to Mt. Silver. As they travel however, Sammy says he's 'read a few dusty book on legendaries' and explains in vague details about the legendary wars and the Agreement, and the doom of the two humans. Of course Misty and Brock don't believe there's anyway what so ever that Ash could really be gone.

A storm at Mount Silver makes flying to the top pretty much impossible, forcing the heroes to land and climb the rest of the way up. On the way up, they encounter trainers from both Team Aqua and Magma, who are actually working TOGETHER as impossible as they sounds. The Teams' plan is a simple one, disrupting the fight so there is no winner, so the resulting chaos reawakens the elder legendaries, and both are fully convinced that it's their master that'll rise victorious in the resulting fight upon their release, and thus see no reason not to 'use' the other Team to achieve this goal of releasing their master.

Brock faces against the Team Magna trainers who say how he fight 'his own' but Brock retorts he isn't 'their own' but they say the Slates are descendants of Groudon's servants and thus he should be working with them. The trainer happens to be female, but for the sake of Ash: Brock for once doesn't surrender to his hormones.

Misty fights the Team Aqua trainer and Misty says they give water pokmon a bad name. The opposing trainer says that everything they've been doing is for water pokemon's sake and only them and that Misty is an idiot for not siding with them for the higher cause. Misty is knocked off kilter by the speech but for Ash's sake she throws it to the winds, and yes the Aqua trainer also pulls the Waterflower blood-line card but to no effect but more due to Ash than anything does Misty refuse to let herself be deterred.

Both Team Trainers use a wrist mounted device that keeps their six pokeballs in two rows of three on both sides of their twists which spreads out from connectors once the battles starters. This is an allusion to the Yugioh anime which I had a particular liking to in those days (before it jumped the shark twice).

The fight against two elite assassins and two Gym Leader level trainers is even for a while. Both Team Trainers then reveal their secret weapon. Inspired by the Seal of Oricalcos and Pikachu's possession of Groudon in the anime, both trainers use what they call the 'mark of the elders.' This odd effect which is only vaguely explained with hints towards faux versions of the blue and red orbs, causes the pokemon to suddenly develop glowing red or blue lines in the patterns of the elder legendaries, increases their aggression and attack power, and turns them into the Type of that elder legendary. This leads to some fighting combinations that would normally be impossible and Brock and Misty's pokemon are hammered.

It never occurs to Misty and Brock that technically Team Aqua and Magma want the exactly same thing as Misty and Brock do, to end the fight! This has to due with the antagonism the heroes naturally come to feel for the Teams they often find themselves fighting against. Plus Misty and Brock are SURE there's a way to end this with getting their friends back and NOT giving the bad guys what they want.

Sammy who before had been planning to go on ahead while the heroes delayed the unwanted baddies, realizes that Misty and Brock chances for winning just nose dived, and Sammy shows just how powerful his team really is and turns the magic trick the Team trainers are using against them resulting in a swift, but costly and brutal victory.

"Dammit..." One of the Team Trainers says, "Unleash it now!"

And Regigigas is freed by the respective teams from a helicopter above (which nearly flies out of control in the storm) and when it lands it shakes the entire mountain, and the helicopter goes crazy from the sudden change of weight. And Regigigas SPEAKS, saying it'll disrupt the pact and release it's master itself!

Regigigas in this canon is a creation of Team Aqua and Magma together, based on how the elder legendaries created the golems. the creature has no true loyalties to the Teams however, seeing them only as a mean to free groudon.

Deciding that what awaits them at the top isn't a battle that can be actually won by strength (or perhaps just that Sammy can no longer risk going to the top of Regigias right behind him), Sammy tells Misty to go up, while Brock and Sammy will delay the titan (they know their chances of winning are absurd).

It never occurs to the trainers to tell the legendaries to tell them about Regigias since again, they doubt the legendaries will be appreciative or stop the fight because of it even though the legendaries COULD likely stand up to Rigigigas and even destroy it if it was still in it's 'slow start' stage.

Sammy's pokemon prove their stuff against the Legendary of Normal-Types but it's not enough against one who can move continents. So they are reduced to playing in and out games of tag with it to distract it from it's real goal.

A series of Giga-Impacts once the Normal Legendary is at full power is enough to knock Sammy's group down for the count and Brock's group out. Sammy then does what most people would never consider. And tries to REASON with the titan. First that Groudon would likely destroy him for being an abomination that Groudon didn't make. Giga doesn't care it's his duty to release Groudon. Then Sammy tries that Team Magma won't likely be anything but slaves when Groudon is unleashed. Giga doesn't care. Finally, Sammy says how, if Giga is really made from the foundation of the elements, then it must know what'll happen when the two elder legendaries fight, and the chaos that'll result, something in direct contradiction to the stuff Gigas was born from. For Giga is a creature of ORDER, and the CHAOS from the two elder legendaries' battle could destroy the order of things... Gigas says it needs to do some thinking on the subject and withdraws it's attack.

Sammy also realizes, the loophole Celebi was talking about was the one that could have enabled the elders to escape, and Sammy realizes Celebi never said it would be a loophole that enable them to get Ash and Casey back. Sammy then wonder if Celebi did all this just to keep the fight from being ruined by TM and TA.

Misty arrives at the top. The battle has already begun. A solar eclipse happened when no one was noticing. It doesn't do anything to effect things, though the legendaries approve of it adding an extra sense of ceremony.

Misty has never seen so many legendaries in one place before, it's unlikely any human or pokemon alive in two thousand years has (not since Samus Oaken). She asks where Ash and Casey are, and is ignored like a fly by the majority of legendaries. Sucune however, of all the legendaries present, takes notice of her and actually SPEAKS to her, explaining things to her, and that this isn't a fight that can be stopped, and doesn't allow for anything other than a fight to the death. Misty is Sucune's chosen human, which is the only reason that he bothers saying anything to her. (This a reference to the manga.)

Misty makes demands for the fight to end, for a time out, a suspension, a pause to the game, SOMETHING! Everything she says is ignored, no more so than the two combatants. Misty calls out to Ash, and, after much internal struggle and agony, screams her real feelings to him. This doesn't do a damn thing.

Misty screams how these gods can justify killing two people to settle their personal grudge match. Celebi says it was either this or have the grudge match destroy the world with the return of the elder legendaries. Misty has had enough and rashly enters the arena. Or rather tries to, the entity who was Molly takes her task very seriously and teleports Misty out of the arena without nano-seconds and tells Misty NOT to do that again! Misty appeals to Molly, begging her to stop this, since as judge she can, but the part of Molly that would be effected by Misty's pleas has been shelved.

Mew says "There is nothing Misty can do to effect the outcome of this fight: one fighter will die, the other will be the new agent of the only surviving elemental trio." And right the wolfen who had been Casey seems to be the the logical winner due to both having more creative thinking up her sleeve and her water type resistance against the ice element of what was once Ash. What was once Ash however does have the advantage of being air born.

"They're both my friends! I don't want either of them to die!"

"Your friends are already dead, their bodies and souls were raw material."

"I refuse to believe that!"

"Refuse to believe in gravity, you'll still fall." Says the floating pokemon.

"Stupid words from someone floating in mid-air!"

"I do not rebuke that gravity exists, nor do I defy it's existence. I acknowledge that gravity exists, how I float still works within the rules."

"...How can I save my friends within the rules then?"

"I said already, your friends no longer exist."

"They're still alive! You're Mew aren't you?! The ancestor of everything alive!? And you're celebi aren't you? One whose existed since time began and will be around when time ends?! Are are the two of your together- going to tell me- that you CAN'T think of a way to help me, a lowly human, save two innocent lives-?!"

The two little legendaries look at each other. Then back at Misty. Mew asks, "Are you willing to die to save them?"

"....Yes."

"Misty." Mew said floating down, "Are you willing to surrender everything you are, have been, and will be, for sake of saving two who were born just to be weapons?"

"I..." Tears in Misty eyes, "I want to get to know them... and I have a feeling, you don't want either elemental trio to have that kind of power... "

The two legendaries looked at each other again. "Misty, you are Sucune's current chosen, but as one of the Genesis Pokemon, I can chose any pokemon or human as my chosen within the ranks of those the other legendaries have picked. No one can overturn my decision. ... Will you accept that?"

"I-I can....I know what you're asking."

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU KNOW ANYTHING YOU STUPID LITTLE HUMAN-?! This is MORE than death! In order for you to step into that arena, you need to be made into an INSTRUMENT! Everything that makes up who you are right now will be wiped away and replaced with a purpose! There are a handful of others that can be selected to pick up the slack from Ash's absence in the pokemon world. ... That won't make his mother anymore happy, or your sisters, yes they love you, deal with it."

"Please... just do it before I realize I'm being complete insane..."

"... If that is what you wish. Good-bye Misty Kasumi Waterflower, I'll remember you as the bravest human in history.."

Mew enter Misty's mind and swiftly and painlessly wipes her out of existence, taking personal care to remember everything she undoes. Mew has the DNA of every living pokemon in her. The elements Misty gains are Ice, Dragon and Water, reflecting her original personality.

Misty is transformed into a dragonoid like pokemon that is white with blue highlights. She loses her red hair, being effectively 'bald' though the crests on her head make up for it. Her hands and feet are sets of three gold claws each. While Mew gives the new nameless dragoness Misty's memories, the dragoness sadly admit to Misty being a previous incarnation at best and her not being Misty herself.

Mew makes her wager mid-battle. Naturally since it IS mid-battle the trios call foul. Mew however says her instrument will seek to subdue, not kill the other two. This is seen as a disadvantage by the trios and who accept, and also order both their pawns to rip the new comer to shreds.

The nameless wolfen openly apologizes while the nameless avian get tries his hardest to ripe her heart out. Dragoness knows unlike Misty that appealing to emotions that are no longer there won't work.

She does however try her hardest to turn her opponents against each other by the use of ice decoys of herself to draw their fire. With them distracted she uses Dragon Dance to up her power, and then uses twisted to bring Avian down to Earth. Using Water sport then to negate the fire-power of her two opponents. Thankfully her dragon type negates her weakness to electricity but it still hurts!

The dragoness is ultimately able to lure both in closer as the two on one fight begins to slowly take it's logical course. The dragoness then uses Sheer Cold, on both her opponents, and herself, knocking them all out.

The Judge declares the fight to be a draw. This outrages the elemental trios who look ready to fight the grudge match themselves and possible unlock the elders with their in fighting. Mew Revives Dragoness and Wolfen and Avian who are confused on what they are supposed to do now if the fight is over and yet both are alive.

Dragoness of course can't end a centuries long grudge match with just a few minutes of talking. But she's been making it up as she goes along so far and figure she shouldn't stop now. Dragoness makes a startling suggestion. For the two elemental trios to submit their power to the new trio... This naturally doesn't go over well. But the Judges believes much to the shock of everyone that this is a good idea, since she doesn't want to see the world destroyed either.

But the judge creates a twist... the new three some of Avian, Wolfen, and Dragoness, are made to be the MIDDLE BALANCE FORCE for the two opposing parties, since they contain elements of both, this is a logical choice.

Dragoness becomes the one to tell Misty's sisters what happened along with to Ash's mother. And Dragoness know Avian and Wolfen will never be Ash and Casey, she sees them as her precious siblings, who she has to raise and teach to regain what they lost... they have eternity to do it after all....

~ Fin

**Original Skeleton Summary: **

Team Aqua and Magma seek to disrupt the duel, knowing that if there is no winner, than the elder legendaries will be released from their eternal prison claiming this is the 'loophole' Celebi was talking about. Brock and 'Sammy' block them at these attempts. While Misty comes face to face with the games as they begin, and even faces Lugia, and Ho-Oh...

Misty says if there's any way to keep Ash and Cassie from killing each other.

While Cassie and Ash's conditions for willing are killing each other, Lugia says that a third party need not have that same condition. Even if it'll mean Lugia and Ho-Oh will then have the power.

Misty finds this the lesser of two evils, and agrees. Even when she's told her old identity will be mostly destroyed in the process. White/Ice/Dragon.

Misty barely manages to win... and the world changes.

Misty, Ash and Cassie are lost forever, but what used to be them are given basically free will and the ability to make their own lives...

**Cast: **

Ash Ketchum

Misty Kasumi Waterflower

Brock Slate

Casey Crystal

Molly Hale

Absol

Unown

Deliah

Casey's Family

Pikachu

Legendary Birds

Legendary Beasts

Latias and Latios

Elder Legendaries

Lugia

Ho-Oh

Mew

Celebi

Prof. Samuel Oak

Team Aqua and Magma

**And a WHOLE LOT of pokemon!!!!! **

**Reviewers: **

Nicky4

Light Sneasel (Thank you for always reviewing my stories.)

SSJKrystal18

Belletiger

Lunamew (It's been a blessing to always be reviewed by you.)

Farla (Nice shallow review.)

blissychild

RogueMoon

citrus luver

gohans yoyo

NeoSmilyFace

Readasaur

Miroku004

Jillie Rose

Shadow Guardian of the Gate

Cytrus

Story Weaver1 (Thank you for all your reviews after all this time. It's an honor. I hope you DO give some reviews to my true final story which shall be up soon enough and which is NO summary!)

Kara10

kitsune

(Sorry, I never got your e-mail.)

Saffire Persian (Yeah, this was before they had a ton of pokemon websites and you could find out the proper spelling in seconds. Yes, commas are my curse. And yes, Ho-Oh was in pain due to the TF of her chosen human.)

Ryan

Shadow Guardian of the Gate

Ri2 (Actually the spelling of gawd was on purpose, and intended as a reference to a RPG Comic I read were the letter 'o' is replaced with 'aw' all over the place as part of the character's accents.)

Pyr00tje (There. Sorry it' took so long.)

Neith4

TheWhiteMonk

Kara10

Ryan

White-Winged Darkness

Astragunner2002

Shaladin

Sparkling-Ruby Gem

Diva

Birma

wierdo

Aeon, "I accept this tenth and final key, the door to the final enemy is unlocked... you have less than six days however...Good luck."

And thank you, all of you!


End file.
